CLASSIC NIGERIAN FOOD RECIPES This ebook is an Intellectual Property of Michael Toye Faleti © All rights reserved The content of this ebook is not warranted for correctness, and is used by the reader at his/her own will. No other warranty is given for using the content of this ebook. 1 INTRODUCTION This ebook is written as a guide to learning how to cook Nigerian foods. You will find fifteen main recipes of some of the most popular dishes enjoyed all across southern Nigeria. So why make an ebook about Nigerian food recipes? Firstly, I love Nigerian foods. I think Nigerian cuisine has penerated a lot of cultures across the world and many people are becoming more curious of African cuisine in general. However, this ebook is for women and maybe men who are Nigerians or have been influenced by the culture through marriage, family or friendship to broaden their knowledge about Nigerian cuisine and develop their confidence in the kitchen. And most importantly for the young women starting out wanting to become better skilled at the Nigerian culinary arts. If you are Yoruba and have always wanted to learn how to cook Ibo food then there are plenty of Ibo food recipes here to get you started. Or maybe you learned to cook Nigerian foods in countries like the U.S, Great Britain, South Africa or elsewhere and want to improve on the recipes you know or learn some new ones. This ebook will take your cooking to the next level by extending the range of Nigerian foods you can cook and teach you how to combine native ingredients to get the most authentic flavour and taste. TIPS FOR BECOMING A BETTER COOK 1 CONFIDENCE : It is normal for you to be scared of how your food looks and taste, but no harm in trying, make your mistakes and learn from it, keep practicing and experimenting until you are able to build up your confidence. CONFIDENCE is having total control of what you do, once you make your mistakes in cooking, for instance adding too much seasoning or pepper or using the wrong recipe, learn from it then move on. This attitude will make you a better cook eventually. 2 BELIEF : You have to believe in your own mind that you can become a good cook. Try cooking more meals on your own, eat less of fast food, make your kitchen a part of you, according to my sister Busola cooking is a thing of the mind, and practice makes perfect. 3 NEATNESS : As a cook, you need to create a good standard of hygiene and appearance. It helps to have a high standard of personal cleanliness in your hair, nails, face, clothing, utensils and gas cooker, which should be cleaned thoroughly after use. 4 PRESENTATION : Cooking is all about creativity, the presentation of your food is very important, it makes the food attractive and most times a well presented food can make you go hungry. You should present your food using your own imagination as long as it looks pleasing to the eye. Food should be neatly served on the dinner table or in a tray. 5 COMMUNICATIONS : Communication is very important in all aspect of life, and cooking is no exception. When you want to cook something new, invite some friends over to your home that can help correct your mistakes by giving constructive feedback. Never fail to listen to their corrections and don’t get angry, this will help you a lot. Make sure you ask questions on how the food looks, the taste, does it need more or less seasoning etc. Listen to their comments and take each on board, it will help improve your cooking and build your confidence. 6 PRESERVATION : The taste of your recipe is very important, do not make use of spoilt food, it will make your food distasteful and results in waste of time and effort. Make sure you use fresh or well preserved ingredients before usage. Your perishable goods can be kept in your deep refrigerator and non perishable can be preserved in sunlight. 7. Have Fun: Eating is not just about surviving but enjoyment as well. The more fun you have when cooking, the more your guests will enjoy what you serve them. So make your cooking times fun, try to relax and remember you have the Classic Nigerian Foods Recipes ebook as a guide ☺ 2 COMMON INGREDIENTS Bitter Leaf Brown Beans Cocoyam Crab Crayfish Bitter leaf (Ewuro in This is a sweet type of Cocoyam or Tannia or Taro Crabs often make a Like crabs crayfish/lobsters Yoruba or Vernonia). beans used for Moi-Moi or is a starchy shrub use in delicious garnish to are other delicious It can be bought fresh or bean cake(akara). Brown thickening vegetable soups Nigerian vegetable additions to soups for that dried. It is bitter to taste beans is Ewa-oloyin in and in the making of Fufu. soups. You can cut the added crunchiness. but very delicious in stews Yoruba. pincers off and remove or together with Egusi the intestines with a soup. knife. Ewedu(Jute ) Garden eggs Ginger Goat Meat Green Bananas Ewedu, Jute leaves or Garden egg, mock Ginger, tomatoes, onions, Although similar to lamb Green bananas are bananas Saluyot is an iron rich tomatoes, huckleberry or small chilli pepper, yellow Goat meat is far used for plantain which are fresh vegetable similar to Igba in Yoruba is a pepper, garlic & red healthier and it has far only 60% ripe. They make spinach. vegetable fruit. peppers blended together less fat than chicken a healthy and delicious Sometimes yellow in whilst being higher in are the essential porridge dish. It is cooked until slippery colour they are used in protein and iron. then served with tomato preparing stews or eaten ingredients you need to and pepper stew to give a with yam. make your red pepper natural richness stew. Melon seeds Periwinkle Okra Palm kernel Locust beans This is the main The common periwinkle is Okra or gumbo is one of Palm kernel is the fruit seed Fermented locust beans or ingredient in making of the palm fruit, a source of an edible small sea snail the most common African Iru in Yoruba enhances Egusi. unrefined palm oil. with a thick shell. A choice the flavour of soups like vegetables. It is often addition to garnish all kinds ogbono or Ewedu. They enjoyed as a soup of vegetable soups. are pungent smelling and thickener and very should be freeze for slippery. Do not store okra storage. The aroma for too long (3 days max) makes vegetables taste and use whilst fresh. delicious. Shrimps Scent leaf Spinach Stockfish Stockfish(smoked) Along with crabs, Scent leaf or Efirin in Spinach is the vegetable Dried stockfish or panla Like the dried variety periwinkles and crayfish, Yoruba is a condiment used in making Efo riro. in Yoruba is quite Smoked stockfish is far shrimps are another similar to basil. expensive but very tasty. healthier than fresh fish example of a delicacy you The taste is very rich and and more succulent in can add to enhance fleshy; it also has a taste. You should soak richness of your cooking. lovely aroma in food, them in water for at least 2 mainly used in vegetable hrs to make them tender. soup. Ugu Yam Ugu or pumpkin leaves is Yam is a highly nutritious a vegetable favoured by tuber plant that is very the Igbo people of rich in carbohydrates and Nigeria. Use it to cook can also be boiled, Edikai Ikong or add it to mashed or pounded. Egusi or Ogbono soup for a delicious taste. 3 1 MOI MOI (BEANS CAKE) Moi Moi, so tasty they named it twice. Okay that was a bit corny but I love this dish made from beans/black eyed peas. I think it makes an excellent Saturday morning breakfast because it is highly nutritious whilst filling. Serve with custard or if throwing a party alongside Jollof rice. INGREDIENTS Serves 4 - 500g Beans/Black Eyed Peas. - 4 Boiled Eggs (optional) - 2 ½ cooking spoons of Palm oil /Vegetable oil - Cooked Fish/Sardines - ½ Clove Garlic/Ginger - 60g Shrimps (optional) - Leaves / Sandwich bags / Aluminium cups. - 4 Fresh Tomatoes - 7 Small Chilli Pepper - Maggi/Salt METHOD STEP 1 Soak the Beans/Black eyed peas for not longer than 30 – 45 minutes, wash and peel off the brown back of the beans by rubbing the beans with your palms until it becomes white then wash thoroughly. Be sure to remove all the brown peels. STEP 2 Wash the beans till all is clean white, add onions, red chilli pepper, tomatoes, chopped small garlic and a bit of ginger (very little), blend all together. STEP 3 Boil the eggs, shrimps and fish STEP 4 Add 2 ½ tablespoon of palm oil or vegetable oil and seasoning like Maggi/salt then stir, taste if seasoning is okay. STEP 5 Slice the egg and shred the fish make sure to remove the bones. STEP 6 Rinse the leave/sandwich bag/aluminium cups, fold into a cone brake the bottom backward to avoid leakage, pour the grounded beans, add few shrimps, fresh sliced eggs and wrap the leave. STEP 7 Put water in a cooking pan and add all the wraps inside cover to cook for 30mins. STEP 8 Open one wrap to see if cooked and solid. Note: Instead of leaves use sandwich bags or aluminium cups. Tip: Make aluminium cups by cutting open cans of condensed or evaporated milk. Use palm oil instead of Vegetable oil with enough large red peppers to improve the richness and reddishness of Moi Moi, which makes it more appetising.